Traction belt attachment



June 2, 1931. D7 5. KENNEDY 1,808,416

TRACTION BELT ATTACHMENT Filed Dec. 2, 1929 Fatentecl June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DONALD STUART KENNEDY, F ANDOVER, ENGLAND TRAGTION BELT ATTACHMENT Application filed December 2, 1929, Serial No. 411,115, and in Great Britain March 8, 1929.

This invention relates to traction belt attachments for road vehicle wheels, and has reference more especially to overall attachments which pass around both wheels of a pair arranged in tandem, the attachment forming an endless track which encircles the pair of wheels. The invention is particularly advantageous for use in connection w th six-wheeled vehicles fitted with singlet re wheels, but can also be used with twin-tire wheels, and for attachments such as non-skid chains or girdles to be fitted to individual wheels.

The main object of the invention is to provide a traction belt attachment in which each shoe of the endless track or chain is free to bend transversely along or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the belt when in contact with the ground, and about the perlphery of the Wheel when wrapped around the latter.

A further object is to allow a limited amount of twisting movement of the belt, particularly in the case of an overall attachment when the two wheels are momentarily running in different planes, due to the rela-' tive obliquity of the two axles in travelling over uneven ground.

The invention has also for an object to secure better adhesion between the traction belt and the ground, and between the vehicle wheels and the shoes of the traction belt. My improved traction shoe is comparatively inexpensive to make and it has no exposed joints to rust or require lubrication. An overall traction belt made with these shoes can be run slack during operation and it allows for variation of axle or bogie centers.

The invention is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure l is a side elevation showing two link-connected shoes of a traction belt attachment.

Figure 2 is a section of which the left half is taken on the line 22, and the right half on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an inner plan of the shoe seen in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows diagrammatically the fitting of traction belts to a six-wheeled vehicle.

Referring to Figures 1 t0 3, each shoe A is composed of two lateral sections a I) made of mild steel or other suitable rigid material to form wearing surfaces, and a centralsection 0 made of flexible material such as multipleply balata fabric, the sections being arranged to overlap at their adjacent edges and secured together by means of rivets (Z. The rigid lateral sections a 72 comprise outer members a Z2 of angle shape, with their corners rounded as at a 6 and having their free ends a b curved slightly outwards. From these curved ends a b there extend diagonal inner members or struts e f, secured to the said ends by rivets g, and also having their adjacent ends 6 f secured bythe rivets (Z to the inside face 0 of the central section. These inner members 6 f and the central section 0 form trough or gutter which approximates the sectional shape of the wheel tire indicated at h in Figure 2, and is capable of fiexure about the longitudinal axis of the traction belt.

The inner members 6 f may be formed as separate strips of metal at the front and rear edges of the shoe, leaving gapsbetween them as seen at e in Figure 3, to allow the tire to engage partly with the inside. face 0 of the central section 0, according to the curvature of the periphery of the tire. In cross section the inner members may be curved to a convex shape as shown for example at f in that figure, so as to avoid chafing the side Walls of the tire. by sharp edges. V r

The individual shoes A are connected together in the known manner by means of links a made of mild steel or other suitable material pivoted to the outer members a b of the shoes by pins j. The'several shoes are thus built up to the required length of traction belt B, which may encircle two wheel-tires 10 e0 as illustrated in Figure l. It will however be obvious that the shoes may be assembled to form a traction belt l3 suitable for fitting in the manner of a nonskid chain to a single wheel, as indicated by way of example in the. case of the front wheel to in the same figure.

The composite shoe can conform to the. surface of theground when the wheel" rolls over the traction belt in its laid-down position, and can also bend transversely to agree with the sectional shape ofthe tire when the traction belt is lifted to pass over the wheel, while a limited amount of twist is permitted to the belt in running between two connected wheels.

It will be noted *from Fig. 2-0 1": thedrawings that the rigid lateral sections have outer members a b of angular shape and that the rigid links 2' which space adjacent shoes, are pivotally mounted upon the said lateral sections, said pivotal mountings being arranged intermediately of the depth (of :such lateral sections and adjacent to the. angle of such angularly shaped outer member. The edges of the 'lateral sections secured :to, the central flexible section '0 face one another and the endsa b of the lateral sections remote from the central flexible section c are with advantage. flared outwardly.

I wish it to be understood that the materials and the details of construction men tioned have been given merely by way of example, that various modifications-may be made within the scope of the appended claims. p

What I claim is 1. In a traction belt attachment for read vehicle wheel and-ofthe kind in which'transverse shoes are spaced from adjacent shoe's by pivoted connecting links, acomposite shoe comprising a central fiexiblesectionand two lateral rigid sections, said sections overlapping and being secured together at their adjacent edges, said "lateral sections including outer members having means 'for pivoting the saidconnecting links thereto,==a-nd inner members extending between said outer members and said central flexible section, and said inner members being convex towards the tire on which said shoe'engages.

2. In a traction belt attachment for road vehicle wheels and of 'the hind in w hich transverse shoes are spaced from adjacent shoes by pivoted connecting links, a composite shoe comprising a central flexible section and two lateral rigid sections, -said-sec tions overlapping and being secured together at their adjacent edges, said lateral sections including outer members-having means for pivoting the said connecting *links thereto, and inner members extending between said outer members and said central flexible section, said inner members being convex towards the tire on which said shoe engages,

' the endsofsaid inner and outer membersremote from the said central section 'being secured together and flared outwardly, and said flexible sectionextending into the space between'the other-ends of said inner and out er members. i

In testimony whereof Ifhave affixed-my sig nature.

DONALD STUART KENNEDY. 

